This comment feels to me like you’re picking out one color in a painting and asking why everybody paints everything red. Especially since two of the VNs you mention have non-jerk options. (Though yes, they all have fairly weak protagonists.)
But the short answer is: Because it’s popular.
What do you wish had happened differently? I or someone may be able to recommend something more to your taste.
Okay, this sounds like you want a few main things:
I suspect some degree of relationship drama is inherent to the Romance genre. 😕 And while there are a couple VNs that have strong protagonists, I cannot think of ANY that have the level of coherent world-building you seem to be looking for. You spent a long time explaining how TToF isn’t like the real world—if that is a problem for you then any kind of fantasy or SciFi will not work at all, and your best option is contemporary stories that are set in the real world.
To that end, I would recommend these:
Ocean Avenue - similar to EA, but the protagonist starts with goals and tries to achieve them
After Years - has no jerks and is low on drama. Kegar is a supportive wingman, and the protagonist does stand up for himself sometimes
You might also like Santa Lucia, but I haven’t played that one in a while so I’m not confident in that recommendation. Another contemporary one with an active protagonist is London’s Aesop, but it has some fantasy elements and is currently on hiatus.
TBH I think you’re more likely to find what you want in contemporary romance novel novels, not furry VNs.
If you like fantasy and can tolerate non-real worlds, then I don’t really understand half the things you found wrong with TToF, because they are issues with the setting not matching the real world. (The other half are issues of human nature/behavior and I agree they probably could be better.)
I’ve heard of Grove but never played it. But also it looks like an RPG, not a VN? If you want more agency, that definitely would be the way to go. Unfortunately I don’t really play many of those.
For SF/F I might recommend Lyre, which is kind of like Adastra, except the wolf isn’t a jerk so there’s no drama with him. (All drama is with the environment instead.) I had issues with the world not making sense though, so you might also.
If you’re okay with the superhero genre then Super Nova could be good. Short so far but the protagonist is moderately strong and only 1/3 of the BFs is an ass.
I have others I like more, but they either have weaker protagonists or way more relationship issues and drama, which you seemed not to like so much?
Hey. Thank you for the feedback. While I understand you didn't enjoy the story, which is completely fine, I do have to disagree with certain points about fantasy settings.
There are plenty of fantasy stories that deviate significantly from the strict medieval copies of modern history. For an example, you can see the Wheel of Time, where most characters, peasant or no, can read.
The simple truth is that the world of TToF is not the real world, nor does it have a history identical to the real world, and some things about it are going to differ.
If that means you won't enjoy the story, again, that is completely fine.
Don't worry, I don't think your comments were offensive in any way. It's nice to have people who engage with the story like this.
I don't know if you read before or after the update to build 1, but in the future, we will likely do more rewrites to add a little more lore on the world. And, of course, there will be more of it in future content.
